


The Final Ward

by way2interested



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, Angst, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, JazzHaught, Multi, Slow Burn, Smut, WayHaught Au, Wayhaught - Freeform, Wayhaught New York
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-02 03:43:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16778929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/way2interested/pseuds/way2interested
Summary: Waverly is a planner, like always, and this time its not only her personality, but her job as well. Nicole is an erratic, impulsive yet brilliant musician that leads with her heart rather than her head. There is more than meets the eye to them both and although there is a very obvious connection between the two, their tumultuous relationship follows rather tragic patterns.This is my first time writing a fanfic, so go gentle on me! Any and all feedback is welcome, I appreciate the feedback. I draw a lot of inspiration from my own life- places I've been, certain interests and hobbies of mine and close friends. The actual story though is completely fictional.The title of the work also is a double entendre of sorts riddled with deeper meaning to be slowly revealed as the story goes on :)





	1. A Chance Encounter

Waverly took a deep breath as she smoothed over her skirt one more time. She was confident in her appearance, she was wearing her lucky outfit after all. A sleek black pencil skirt that hugged her curves perfectly that started just below her navel and ended a few inches above her knee, paired with a white sleeveless sheer shirt that buttoned up just above her chest. It was the perfect balance of elegant and sexy. The stubborn cold New York City weather had finally broke and it was an unusually warm evening for April which meant Waverly could finally ditch her jacket and complete her look with a strappy heel. She looked good and she knew it, so why was she so nervous? She stood outside the club for another 5 minutes and checked her phone several times before finally gathering up the courage to go inside.

 _First dates were the worst_ she thought to herself. _Well…technically it's our second date but the first one didn’t really count as far as I'm concerned._

She quickly opened her phone once more to take one final look at the photo of her date as if she hadn’t already committed the face to memory. Although she had met him once before, he had a generic face. Handsome, but not exactly memorable so she wanted to be sure. The muffled sounds of a piano and drums spilled out of the club as the front door opened and a few people wandered out onto the street, laughing as they piled into a taxi. She grabbed the door before it swung closed and walked inside.

Taking a moment to adjust to the roar of the music and the low lighting, Waverly quickly scanned the floor to see that all the tables were taken save for 2 seats available at the end of the bar. She made her way over and took a seat, leaving an empty seat to her right that she would save for Brian. She quickly glanced over and noticed a mysterious figure sitting alone on the last chair.

The bartender walked over and handed her a cocktail menu before moving over to serve another customer. Waverly opened the menu and went straight for the spirits page in the back. She was immediately impressed to see some of her favourite spirits had made the list. She wasn’t sure if she was in a gin or a whiskey mood, but when she turned the page over to the cocktail list and saw that the list was full of prohibition style cocktails she quickly decided on gin - an old classic, her Uncle Curtis’ favourite.

She closed the menu and took a moment to observe her surroundings. Immediately she was drawn to the décor. The club had a very warm ambiance to it. It wasn’t too big, but it was arranged in a way that made you feel cosy. It was nuzzled in an older building, probably built around the turn of the century. It maintained much of the character and history of an older building with plenty of exposed brick peeking out, accompanied by white subway tile and elements of the art-deco period. The soft lighting balanced well with the white, black, and gold accent colour scheme and really brought everything together. Waverly admired the attention to detail and the delicately balanced motifs. She was a sucker for old timey architecture & design and had such a passion for history. She wondered who designed such an elegant space. She quickly sized it up and figured it would be a great place for an event of some sort…maybe a birthday party or an intimate gathering. Waverly was pulled from her thoughts as the band on stage ended their song and the crowd clapped before starting the next tune. Waverly settled into her chair and continued to make her observations. Her eyes wandered across the bar, first appreciating the bartender’s speed and precision. Though he was the only one behind the bar which could have easily stressed someone out, he remained calm and she could tell he poured so much of his soul into each cocktail he made. She appreciated that.

Finally, Waverly’s eyes travelled across the bar to the far end where her eyes stopped again on the mysterious figure, this time her gaze lingering a bit longer. At first she had assumed it was a man, but upon further inspection she noticed the defined, yet soft curve of a woman’s jawline and the brunette raised her eyebrows slightly. The brunette took a moment to take in the woman’s details. She followed the woman’s strong jawline up her face until finally she noticed her crimson hair. She wondered how it wasn’t the first thing she saw as she found herself lost in the fiery locks similar to watching the roaring of flames in a fireplace. As her eyes continued to wander, she noticed the woman was wearing what appeared to be a very expensive, well-fitting suit. The bespoke navy jacket sculpted her back and shoulders perfectly. Waverly tried her best to make out the rest of the woman’s features, but her elbow was propped up on the bar with her palm positioned on her temple holding up her head, obstructing Waverly’s view of her face. She sat at the bar with an ornate crystal lowball glass that held a small amount dark liquid and a lemon peel. The woman had her head down scribbling feverishly into a moleskin notebook. Her writing pace never faltered, nor did she look up with the addition of Waverly at the bar. Her presence though was enough to make Waverly suck in a deep breath. She could feel the importance that the crimson haired woman carried without hearing her voice or even seeing more than a quarter of her face. She was almost intimidated by her energy. She shook her head and turned her attention to the music.

The bartender came over to take Waverly’s order but she insisted on waiting for her date to arrive. She didn’t want to risk getting tipsy before her date arrived and making a fool of herself, though she knew she could hold her liquor. Her sister had a knack for ruining dates...holidays...events...really anything that way. So she asked for a water to hold her over.

She sat with her legs crossed, her phone and clutch resting in her lap as her foot gently tapped to the beat. She found herself lost in the band that was playing on the stage. However, as soon as she thought she found the rhythm and synced her foots movements to the beat, it changed again and she couldn’t quite keep up. The drums were playing in double time which was both slow and fast at the same time. Waverly smiled nonetheless and tried to adjust to keep with the beat, she loved music and loved dancing, but the irregularity of the music had her thrown. She liked all types of music, but jazz was never a genre she really paid any attention to. The red head looked over out of the corner of her eye without moving her head and noticed how hard Waverly was trying to keep up. She smirked to herself, Waverly completely unaware, as she drew her attention back to her notebook.

The petite brunette huffed as a defeated look came over her face. She looked down at her phone and her brow furrowed when she realized that nearly a half hour had passed and her date was still nowhere to be found. Again, her ears perked up as the room was filled with whistles and clapping. The band had just wrapped up its set and once the applause died down the room was filled with indistinct chatter and some swing style jazz that came on over the speakers. As she looked around, she noticed that the bar was much fuller than when she first arrived. Waverly had never been to _Gardien_ though she had jogged past the place countless times during her morning run before work. She had no idea it was such a popular place and had no idea why there were so many people here on a Tuesday night of all nights. The band was good, but it seemed odd to her.

She decided she would accept defeat. That she had been stood up. Waverly sat for a moment pondering on how she found herself in this situation to begin with. It took Chrissy nearly 8 months to finally convince Waverly to join Tinder despite her numerous protests. After calling off her engagement last summer, Waverly took a while to get herself back in the game so to speak. When she finally agreed, she knew she would regret it before they even finished setting up her profile. Sure, she had plenty of matches but not a single man she spoke to seemed to care about anything more than getting in her pants. Some were vulgar, but most were just dumb. Almost all but one conversation had fizzled out after no more than 5 or 6 messages. Except for Brian. He was a lawyer, divorced but no kids. They had gone on one date, meeting for coffee where she was impressed with how polished he was. Their date was cut short when he got called in for an emergency meeting at work…on a Sunday. But Waverly chalked that up to him being ambitious. In the short half hour they spent together Waverly had gathered that he was driven in his career, had a healthy social life, was fit and active and since he was divorced, she assumed he wasn’t afraid of commitment. So Waverly was especially eager to see where things could lead. Maybe a little too eager as she had invited him to the bar just 2 nights later. She should have known better than to get her hopes up.

She went to open her phone and delete the app so that he couldn’t message her and she didn’t have to go through the humiliation of reliving another moment like this. She wasn’t one for dating apps anyway. No, Waverly was an old soul. She loved books, and history, and the skillful, albeit mildly archaic and gender normative process of courtship. And none of that could be done through a dating app. No, it was all about hook-ups and instant gratification. She would do it the old fashioned way from now on. 

Waverly decided she to treat herself to one cocktail and then make her way back home. She made the effort, got all the way here and wasn’t keen on wasting an outfit so she turned to the bar to grab the bartender’s attention, but he was slammed. He was struggling to keep up with the orders since the crowd had grown.

“Poor guy, he’s down a bartender tonight. Cameron's one of the best bartenders in this town, but even he can’t keep up tonight on his own.”

Waverly looked over and saw that the redhead had closed her notebook and was leaning slightly into the back of the empty chair next to Waverly as she spoke.

Waverly smiled, “I’ve been trying to order a cocktail, but it seems I’m striking out on all fronts this evening. I just wanted one drink is that too much to ask?”

“What are you drinking?” the redhead responded.

“Oh, um its fine. I’m sure he’ll be over in a minute,” she said nervously, she fumbled and began to ramble “you don’t have to do that. I can get my own drink” she said in a firm, yet sincere way, hoping it didn’t come across as rude. She just didn’t want the woman thinking she wasn’t capable of getting her own drink.

The red head smirked and let out a quick airy chuckle. “That’s fine, I respect that. Suit yourself” The redhead got up out of her seat and walked around so that she was on the other side of the bar. She pulled out a crystal mixing glass, and began fixing herself a drink waiting to add the ice before turning her attention back to the brunette.

“Um…are you allowed to be back there?” Waverly said, a bit surprised.

“Ah well, I’m a impatient and also very thirsty. I don’t think Cam will mind, besides he looks like he has his hands too full to even notice…now did you want a drink or not?”

Waverly was confused, but also intrigued by the women’s confidence and bold attitude to defy the rules. “Oh…um yeah, I guess so. I’ll have a Last Word please…if that’s not too much to ask I’m not sure if that’s too complicated or not…I can always just have a glass of red if that’s easier”

The red head’s eyebrows raised and her lips pursed. The brunette’s choice had piqued her interest. “That’s an excellent choice, though can I make a suggestion?” she responded “…do you like whiskey?”

“Actually I love whiskey. I was debating between the two when I saw the cocktail list and decided I was in a bit of a gin mood tonight, but I would never turn down whiskey”

“Alright then I think you’ll love this. It’s very similar to a Last Word, but it has rye instead of gin.”

Nicole pulled out a metal shaker this time and began constructing the cocktail. She poured a scoop of ice into both drinks, slammed the top of the metal mixer into the base and took a long stirring spoon and snaked it down the crystal mixing glass before mixing both drinks with a level of finesse that left Waverly in awe. She shook Waverly’s cocktail in one hand whilst stirring her own around in the other, a skill that required a high level of concentration and finesse.

Nicole strained both drinks into their respective glasses. She spritz her own with a small lemon peel before setting it on a coaster at her chair and placed a coupe in front of Waverly.

“This is a Final Ward…a slight variation on the Last Word but with rye instead. I love them both, but always slightly preferred whiskey. It’s an old family favourite for me.”

Waverly lifted her glass as the red head quickly ducked back to her seat. “Thank you and cheers”

“Cheers. Nice to meet you…” Nicole’s voice trailed off inquisitively.

“Sorry where are my manners. I’m Waverly!”

“Nice to meet you Waverly, name’s Nicole. Now tell me, what’s a pretty girl like you sitting here alone at a bar on a Tuesday night. Don’t get me wrong, this place is great, but it’s not exactly a place to go picking up.” Nicole continued, “and I don’t mean to be rude but I’m not quite sure that Jazz is your style of music”

“I was supposed to meet a guy here for a date, but it appears I’ve been stood up…pretty embarrassing actually.” Then the second half of what Nicole said registered in her brain. “Hey! What’s that supposed to mean, why do you presume I don’t like Jazz?”

“Heh, nothing…you just seemed to have a hard time keeping up with the beat before.” She said with a chuckle.

Waverly looked at her mildly embarrassed but also with a slight pout. Before she could respond Nicole chimed in again.

“I’m sorry to hear that by the way…about the guy blowing you off… Happens to the best of us though- try and shake it off. I know you’re probably only planning to stay for one drink, but you should stick around for the next band, I hear they’re pretty good” Nicole said with a slightly mischievous grin knowing full well that there was something more she wasn't letting on. She opened up her notebook, quickly thumbed to a new page and jotted something down before closing the book and turning her attention back to Waverly.

“It’s still early, so I suppose it doesn’t hurt to stick around for at least a few songs. Say, if you don't mind me asking, I noticed you were writing rather intensely into your notebook before. Was it anything good?”

The question caught Nicole’s off guard. Not that she was upset that Waverly had asked about it, but she generally didn’t like to discuss personal things, especially with strangers. And her notebook was basically an extension of herself. She carried it with her everywhere and it held so much - deep and meaningful secrets, new ideas, grocery lists, sketches. It was an unorganized stream of consciousness for Nicole. Something she started a couple years ago to help get her ideas out rather than letting them fester and drive her crazy.

“Just personal stuff...mundane things really. Grocery lists…errands…that sort of stuff” Nicole said stiffly.

Waverly could sense a guarded energy coming from Nicole, but before she could respond her phone buzzed in her lap. Waverly looked down to see that her sister was ringing her, “Excuse me, I should take this." It was far too loud to answer the phone in the bar so she turned her body slightly away from Nicole and began to type a message. She asked Wynonna if everything was okay. And received a quick response back that everything was fine, but she has good news so she should call her in the morning.

Waverly smiled and quickly turned back toward the red head, eager to continue their conversation. Just as she turned, she noticed the women gotten up from her seat and was holding her phone to her ear. Her face looked rather pensive and she spoke low so Waverly couldn’t hear what she was saying. The redhead began taking off her blue suit jacket to reveal a crisp white dress shirt that hugged her curves perfectly along with a set of thin, brown suspenders attached to dark grey slacks. The top buttons were undone leaving just enough skin showing which caused Waverly’s mouth to go dry. She swallowed hard. Her eyes slowly tracked up from her chest and she saw the glimmer of a thin gold chain around her neck as her eyes quickly reached her face so she wouldn’t be caught staring at her creamy flesh. Nicole laid the jacket on the back of her chair, then quickly downed the rest of her drink as she hung up the phone. She grabbed a grey hat from the bar top and disappeared to the back of the bar before Waverly had a chance to stop her.

She didn’t know why she was so drawn to the woman, but she couldn’t help but to be terribly disappointed when she lost her in the crowd. At least she knew she worked here…maybe? She wasn’t even sure of that. She only knew her first name, and that she had excellent taste in cocktails …and suits apparently.

Waverly looks down and noticed that in her haste to leave, the red head had forgotten her notebook on the bar. She didn’t want to intrude on the red head’s privacy, but if she was being honest with herself, she was curious of its contents all night. She quickly glanced and saw a few things scribbled down. There was a drawing of a cherry with the word lemons next to it which struck her as strange. There was also a music staff drawn sloppily with a few notes written in and finally “18 days” written in the corner.

Waverly already felt incredibly nervous like she was looking at something she shouldn’t be. She was paranoid that the redhead would return at any moment and scold her for reading her notebook. Waverly knew journals were private and she couldn’t help but feel like she was intruding on something personal. Quickly looking away, her eyes darted around to see if anybody had noticed what she was doing. Of course they didn’t. The people were all engulfed in their own conversations to notice what Waverly was doing. She scanned the crowd one more time before closing the notebook and grabbing it. She knew it wasn't hers to take, but had an intense urge to bring it home. To pour over every page in an attempt to learn as much as she could about this mysterious crimson woman. Waverly hid the notebook beneath her clutch and started walking toward the door. Suddenly she was consumed with guilt and shook her head quickly. _What am I doing?! This isn’t mine, I can’t take this._

Waverly immediately spun on her heels and walked back to replace the notebook on the bar when she was interrupted by the roar and a loud applause from the crowd. Waverly looked up to see a new band appear on stage. The musicians all filed on to the stage one by one and took their respective places behind the piano, the drums, the trumpet and the saxophone. The last person to walk on stage immediately caught her eye and as she saw Nicole walk onto the stage her cheeks turned as red as the woman’s hair. The woman was wearing the hat she picked up from the bar low on her face, casting a dark shadow over her eyes. Nicole took her place behind the stand-up bass and the trumpet player began to speak. Waverly noticed Nicole began to roll up her sleeves, revealing a number of colourful tattoos poking through on her forearm. He introduced himself and the band before turning over and pointing to Nicole. “We’re honoured to have the extremely talented Nicole Haught playing with us tonight. Now y’all know it’s rare to see Nicole up on stage nowadays, but we were able to convince her to crawl out of retirement for the evening.”

Before she knew it, Waverly found herself back at the bar sitting on the chair that was previously occupied by the red head. Her fingers grazing over the suit jacket that was draped over the back of her chair. Just before the band started playing, Waverly went to put the notebook back where she found it. She looked down to see a small brass plaque drilled into the wood that simply said “Lever Nos Verres À Marty” Waverly studied history and languages in college so she knew what it meant. She slowly grazed her finger tips over the embossed letters and placed the notebook back in its place over the plaque.

Then the band began to play and Waverly’s eyes were glued to Nicole. The speed and agility of Nicole’s fingers cast a spell on Waverly, one which she was unable to break. She was in awe of how bold and wild, yet still so composed Nicole was as she improvised alongside the drummer. Her face was hidden in the shadow cast by her, but despite not being able to see her eyes, Waverly felt like she was given a glimpse into Nicole’s soul.

The song ended and Waverly ordered a whiskey neat before the band started again. The song opened slowly with Nicole playing by herself as the tempo picked up, so did her intensity. Waverly’s eyes locked onto Nicole’s fingers as they slid effortlessly up and down the neck of the instrument. Without realizing it, Waverly licked her bottom lip before pulling it in against the top row of her teeth. Slowly, one by one, the instruments inserted themselves into the arrangement until the entire band was playing again. Nicole paused for a moment to push her hat back on her head, revealing the sweat that had gathered on her brow. Suddenly the drummer started playing a solo and Nicole used the moment she had to wipe her brow with a handkerchief from her pocket. Just as she went to readjust her hat forward, she looked out into the crowd and quickly locked eyes with Waverly. The look on her face was unreadable and lasted only a moment before Nicole smirked at the young brunette and tilted her hat back down, hiding her face back in the shadow. Waverly gulped hard, an unfamiliar feeling settled in her stomach. “ _What has gotten into me?”_

The band finished playing, and the crowd gave rounds of applause to all the musicians. Waverly had decided she would eagerly wait at the bar for Nicole to return. She wanted to congratulate the red head on the great set she had and hoped to get a few more words in before she had to leave. She frowned when the redhead went straight to the back room without looking up. Waverly quickly glanced at her phone and saw the time “1:15am _….Shit_.” she thought to herself. Waverly had completely lost track of time. She had an 8am meeting to pitch a massive event coming up. This was crazy she thought to herself. Waverly was utterly confused at the emotions that had overcome her. A woman had never elicited these kind of feelings in Waverly before and she had no idea what to make of it all. She chalked it up to the alcohol and made one final decision. She grabbed a pen from her clutch, opened Nicole’s journal to the last page and just under the drawing of the cherry she scribbled her name and number. She picked up the notebook and gave it to the Cameron. “Nicole left this on the bar can you make sure she gets it” She turned and headed out the door to hail a cab.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a bartender and massive cocktail nerd so I'll be doing my best to infuse different cocktails into these chapters when appropriate.   
> Can anybody guess what drink Nicole was drinking?


	2. My Sweet Princess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole's POV on how things unfolded the night before. 
> 
> You'll see she's got quite a bit of emotional baggage.

Nicole woke up the next morning with a splitting headache and a nasty concoction of morning breath and whiskey. She looked over to see a beautiful, tan woman with tight curly hair still asleep next to her, her naked body splayed out on the bed with a thin sheet barely covering her butt. She got up out of bed to make a cup of coffee and jot a few thoughts down before getting ready for her flight later. Suddenly Nicole’s face went white when she couldn’t find her notebook. She rummaged through her bag and tore her apartment to bits before finally reaching for her phone to call Cameron hoping she left it at the bar, the last place it could be. When she unlocked her phone she saw a message was already waiting for her.

_Hey boss, you left your notebook here last night. I’ll leave it for you in the office._

Nicole sighed in relief and planned to pick it up on her way to the airport. She drank her coffee and quickly planned out all the errands and packing she needed to do before heading to the airport.

Nicole was deep in thought, planning her day, as the tan woman came out of the bedroom wearing one of Nicole’s starchy dress shirts with nothing underneath, the fabric fluttering over her bare chest as she padded down the hallway.

“Mmmm, well good morning to you” she said in a low purr. She wrapped her arms around Nicole from behind, sliding her hands gently from her shoulders, past her collarbones, and down her chest between her breasts, finally settling them just above Nicole’s navel. She leaned in and swirled her tongue around the red head’s earlobe before tugging at it gently with her teeth.

Nicole put her coffee down and turned to face her. “Sam…” her voice cracked slightly as she cleared her throat. “Sam…I’ve got a lot to do today…” her voice trailed off as Sam swung her legs one at a time over the redhead’s thighs and settled in her lap. Her arms crossed behind Nicole’s head and she leaned in to lightly bite Nicole just below her jaw.

“I can think of something better than whatever it is that you have to do. Why don’t you bring me back to bed so I can rip those clothes off you again like last night” Sam left a trail of kisses down along her neck and sucked gently on her pulse point which made Nicole’s brain short circuit for a moment.

She grabbed the smaller woman just below her ass and stood up, lifting the woman into the air effortlessly, but as quickly as she had picked her up, she placed her back down gently. “Sam, I think you should leave.”

Sam’s eyebrows bunched together and she opened her mouth about to speak, but she knew there was no point. “Yeah alright, fine”

“Please don’t be like that”

“Be like what?” Sam huffed with an attitude.

“Like that. You know what this is Sam, please don’t try to turn this into something it’s not. We’ve talked about this.”

Sam walked down the hall to the bedroom before reappearing in the living room, fully clothed, with her bag hanging from her shoulder. As she headed to the front door, Nicole stopped her.

“Hey...are you hungry? Here, take this and buy yourself some breakfast. The rest should cover a cab home” Nicole said as she pulled money out of her wallet.

Sam closed her eyes and exhaled sharply through her nose before taking the money and opening the door. “Thanks” and quickly shut the door.

“I’ll uh, call you…” Nicole tried to say but the door shut in her face. “Alllllright then.”

She headed to the bathroom to take a quick shower before heading out to get on with her day.

* * *

Nicole took out her noise cancelling headphones, took a deep breath through her nose and settled into her chair in the business class lounge. She quickly scrolled through her Spotify playlist and once she landed on a song, she took a sip of her whiskey and sat back as her mind wandered off.

**Tuesday Night:**

Nicole’s focus on the younger brunette was broken when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She picked up the phone and began speaking in French:

 _Nicole:_ Mémère _, is everything alright?_

_Grandma: Yes, sweetheart, everything is fine._

Nicole sighed with relief. She knew her grandmother, though in her older age, was in great health and spirits. She couldn’t help but to get nervous whenever she saw her name pop up on her phone outside of their planned chats on Thursday nights.

_Nicole: Alright, you just know I worry about you. I wasn’t expecting to talk to you until the day after tomorrow. I just got a little nervous I guess._

_Grandma: What your old Grandmere can’t call you just to hear your voice?_

_Nicole: No, of course you can. You can call me any time you know that. So how are you doing._

_Grandma: I’m good darling, how are you?_

_Nicole: I’m ok, her voice trailed off…_

She could sense the hesitation in Nicole’s voice and knew what she was thinking without having to ask.

_Grandma: I know it’s coming up on that time of year again, but I’ll have none of that. You always get like this Nic. Alright, I did call to tell you something but you musn’t be alarmed._

_Nicole: What? What happened?_

_Grandma: It’s nothing serious, I just slipped yesterday and have sprained my ankle. It’s not that bad, I’m just going to be stuck in bed for a week so the swelling goes down before I can get a boot fitted._

_Nicole: Oh my god_ Mémère _! You need to be careful! That’s it.I’m coming to see you._

_Grandma: No sweetheart, you don’t need to do that._

It didn’t matter, Nicole had already looked up flights on her phone while her grandmother was talking. There was a flight departing JFK tomorrow evening.

_Nicole: Nonsense, you’ll need someone to help you out around the house while you’re stuck in bed. Now before you say anything I’ve already looked up a flight and I can hop on a plane tomorrow and arrive on Thursday morning. You never let anybody look after you so I’m coming and you can’t argue. it’s been a few months since I’ve seen you anyway and it would be really nice to spend some time with you._

_Grandma: You’re stubborn, you know that kid?_

_Nicole: Yeah well, I get it from you. Mémère I have to go, I’m playing a gig tonight and I’m about to go on._ She said this as she began taking her jacket off, sliding the arms out one at a time so she could keep the phone to her ear.

_Grandma: Bonne chance ma douce princesse._

Nicole closed her eyes as she repeated her grandmother’s words in her head. She tipped the rest of her whiskey back with one swig and hung up the phone. She turned away from the bar, her back to the brunette. A lone drop of whiskey lingered on her lip and dared to drop off as she brought up her middle and fore finger to catch it. Kissing the pads of her finger she gently brushed her finger tips over a brass plaque fixed to the bar top. She grabbed her hat and made her way to the back room, disappearing into the crowd.

**Present Day:**

Nicole was pulled from her day dream as she heard the boarding announcement for her flight. She knocked back her whiskey, put her headphones around her neck and gathered her soft leather backpack and made her way to the gate.

She settled into her seat and took out a face mask from her carry-on. She hadn’t slept much the night before and needed to get some sleep on this overnight flight so she could make the most out of her morning in Paris tomorrow before making the 2 hour drive out to her grandmother’s house. She pulled out her headphones and drifted back into her day dream, recalling the events from the night before.

 **Tuesday Night** :

Nicole was a bit rattled from the call from her grandmother. She had spent the evening trying to distract herself and was doing a pretty good job of it for once. That’s part of the reason she was shamelessly flirting with the cute brunette at the bar. Even if she wasn’t interested, there was no harm in having a casual conversation with a stranger at a bar… _her_ bar. To be fair, Nicole was in no position to invite someone else into her life at the moment. She had too much swimming around in her head to put any sort of effort into someone else whether it was a something casual, a relationship, or anything really. 

Nicole was greeted by the band as she made to the back room. After a few minutes of chit-chat, and a few bad jokes Charlie, the trumpet player, quieted the room. “Hey everyone, let’s go out there and have a good time tonight. Screw all those other people in there, this ain’t for them, it’s for Nicole... Nic, it’s great to have you back. It ain’t been the same without you and the boys, well, they’ve missed you”

“Oi, Charlie” Johnny the drummer interrupted in his cockney accent, “don’t act like you ain’t missed her neither.” He turned his attention to Nicole. “Get a few fingers of whiskey inn’at lad and he can’t shut up about that first night Marty pulled you up on stage with us.”

Nicole felt a wave of pins and needles flash over her body. Her eyes darted for the corner of the room. The whole room fell silent for a few moments.

Charlie cut in to alleviate the tension, “Alrighty y’all, let’s get out there and jam just like we were back up in the loft, like old times.” As Charlie spoke he popped the top off a bottle of Van Winkle Rye and poured some into 5 glasses, handing them out to each musician. He raised his glass, “To Marty” “To Marty” the group said in unison before tossing back the liquor and walking out to take their place on stage.

Nicole walked onto the stage with her hat pulled low over her face to avoid the crowd seeing her. She despised the bright lights because they kept her from seeing out into the crowd. If she couldn’t see them, she didn’t want them to be able to see her. The lights had a weird way of blinding you on stage, but also could play tricks on you. Sometimes you would see things that weren’t there or make you second guess things that you thought you did see. Nicole rolled up her sleeves as Charlie took the microphone and introduced the band. She was nervous, but took a deep breath and remembered what Charlie said in the back room. _Just pretend we’re back up in the loft…like old times_ she said to herself.

Once introductions were done and the applause died down, the band began to play. Nicole quickly fell into a groove and it was as if no time passed at all. She was focused, and the lights, the crowd around her had completely dissipated. It was just her and the boys up on stage.

As they came to the end of their 3rd song, Charlie quickly motioned to the band that they’d play an old favourite of theirs. This one started with a solo from Nicole so he looked over at her, she nodded and he quickly counted her in. She started strong and only increased in intensity. Nicole poured her soul into the solo, sweat gathering on her brow. Slowly the other instruments jumped until they all played together and Nicole pushed her hat back in an attempt to catch some sweat but missed. Once Johnny took over on drums she quickly took her handkerchief out of her pocket. She glanced out into the crowd and locked eyes with Waverly who smiled at her innocently. Nicole was surprised to see the brunette still at the bar, she had gotten so distracted by her grandmother that she forgot that she left without saying goodbye. Quickly, Nicole jumped back to reality and flashed the brunette a sly grin and pushed the hat back down on her face. _I’ll deal with that later_ she thought to herself and started to play again.

After their set was over, the band went to the back room to celebrate. They were all raving about each other’s performances and Charlie poured another round of whiskey for them all. As they were talking there was a knock on the door. Johnny opened the door to reveal a beautiful, tanned woman with tight curly hair.

“Um ello Miss, sorry but only the band is allowed back here tonight”

“Can’t make one exception for a pretty lady like me” the woman said raising an eyebrow.

“Uh...” he gulped, looking around not wanting to offend knowing that tonight wasn’t the night to go breaking any rules.

“It’s okay Johnny, she’s with me, you can let her in” Nicole cut in and pulled the woman over to the side of the room. “Hi, Sam” Nicole said in a slightly annoyed, hushed tone.

“Hey babe, you were great out there. How’s about we get out of here and you show me what else those fingers of yours are good at, hmm?” Sam said with a devious tone and placed a hand on Nicole’s hip.

“Sam, I already told you tonight isn't a good night. I’m hanging with the boys tonight” Nicole knocked her hand off her hip.

“Mmmm. And what about later, are you going home with the boys too?”

“I’m going home alone tonight, Sam. Now if you would excuse me I have something I need to take care of outside at the bar” Nicole spit back, but when she saw the look on Sam’s face she softened. She couldn't bring herself to be rude to Sam, regardless of their arrangement. “I’ll be back in 15 minutes, have a drink, but please leave before I get back. I’ll call you when I’m ready for next time”

Nicole left the room, closing the door behind her and made her way back to the bar to find the brunette. When she returned back to the seat where Waverly was earlier, there was no trace of her.

“Hey Cam, you see where that brunette went that was sitting here tonight” Nicole shouted over the bar to Cameron who was still serving a few customers that remained.

“Hey boss, you just missed her, she left 2 minutes ago…”

“Yeah…right…alright thanks Cam. I’m gonna have a drink with the boys and we’ll be heading out. You good to close up tonight?”

Before Cameron could respond, Nicole turned to go back with the boys. She was a bit disappointed but figured the brunette wasn’t really interested after all and shook it from her mind. She opened the door and saw Sam laughing with the boys enjoying a whiskey together.

“Oh, um, Nicole I’m sorry I thought you said you’d be gone for 15. I was just leaving” Sam was taken by surprise and began gathering her things.

“No, it’s okay.” Nicole walked over to Sam and took the rather large glass of whiskey out of her hand and tossed it back in one gulp, the brown liquid burning slightly on the way down.

“Boys, I think I’m gonna call it tonight. Go out and give Cameron a hard time. Order whatever you want, it’s on the house.” Nicole turned to Sam “You’re coming with me” she smirked and grabbed Sam’s hand as she motioned towards the door. The whiskey she had been drinking over the course of the night had caught up to her and she was starting to feel its effects.

**Present:**

The captain’s voice came over the PA on the plane alerting the crew that they were ready for take-off, pulling Nicole out of her day dream. The song on her playlist changed and one of the chord progressions had sparked Nicole’s brain. She had a thought for a song so she bent over to rifle through her backpack to grab her notebook. When she opened it she looked down at the last page and saw a phone number neatly written on the page with Waverly’s name beside it in flowy cursive. Nicole wasn’t sure how to react. She was slightly paranoid that the brunette had seen her notebook and that she hadn’t flipped through any of the other pages. Once she got past the slight anxiety, Nicole realized that Waverly had left her number. She must have been interested after all. Nicole opened her phone quickly before they took off and went to type out a message.

 _So, I never got the verdict on your cocktail last night_ … Error: Message Unsent

As Nicole typed the message the plane was already taking off and she lost service before it could send. It must have been a sign from the universe. The message wasn’t meant to be. Nicole put her phone away, pulled her face mask down and drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More author background, I speak Italian and have a deep love for the language, however French makes more sense for this story given the Jazz roots that exist in Paris. So there will be a bit of French infused into the story along the well, but if anybody finds any grammatical errors please let me know!


	3. Periwinkle Problems & Sweet Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly only allows herself only a small moment to grieve/analyze the confusing and somewhat disappointing series of events that took place the night before. She doesn't have the time to dwell on it any longer because she's swamped at work and suddenly has another thing to add to her plate when she calls Wynonna back who has a big surprise for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's going to be shorter than usual. For some reason I had a hard time getting this one out. I've had a hectic/stressful week though and this was the chapter that had the least detail in my outline so I expect a quick recovery. The next chapter will be out very soon after this one as well since they're connected.

It wasn’t until 2pm the following day that Waverly finally found a minute to collect herself. She had been going non-stop since she woke up at 6am, running on only a few hours’ sleep and her third coffee of the day. When she finally sat down at her desk, her stomach growled and she realized she hadn’t eaten anything since lunch the day before. She looked down at her phone and saw the reminder to call her sister back and grabbed her headphones so she could call her on her way down to grab lunch.

She pulled out her phone as she walked out of the elevator bank and dialed her sister's number.

Wynonna: Hey baby girl! It’s about time you called me back. I was starting to get worried you forgot about your sweet old sister.

Waverly: Hey Wy, I’ve been running around like a crazy woman all day. I had a super important pitch this morning, then as soon as I got to the office I had a staff meeting that I was pulled out of half-way though by one frantic new planner who bombarded me with a floral emergency. I spent the rest of my morning running around to every florist south of Midtown I could find with periwinkle roses. Not, lavender, but periwinkle. God forbid the Ladies Who Network event had lavender roses at their luncheon….”

Wynonna: Jesus Waves, periwinkle? Seriously? Don’t they have assistants for that kind of thing? Can’t you send one of your slaves…I mean interns…to go do that kind of stuff for you? I mean why else did they promote you if you’re going to be stuck doing all that bitch work still.

Waverly: Wynonna! We’re a small company and we’re a TEAM. I didn’t leave my last job to work at another massive company that treats its employees like numbers on a spreadsheet instead of caring about their well being and growth. Its only Jeremy’s second week and those ladies can be intimidating. If I don’t help him I’m no better than anybody else.

Wynonna: You quit a very high paying job, might I add…

Waverly: Money’s not everything Wy, I’m much happier here. Besides if we manage to land this new pitch from this morning I’ll be up for a raise. Not that it matters anyway, I’m quite comfortable thank you very much.

Wynonna: Yeah yeah, well as long as you’re happy baby girl…speaking of which I think I have some news that will make you even happier than that job, so can we stop talking about you for a minute and focus on me?

Waverly wished they were Facetiming so her sister could see how hard she rolled her eyes.

Wynonna: Hey! I heard that eye roll, don’t even…ok ok so are you ready?

Waverly: Go ahead…she snickered as she approached the counter at the salad bar to place her order.

Wynonna: So Doc and I have been talking and we’re getting restless over here in the Mid-West. The antique shop has been doing really well and can pretty much run itself since we hired Rosita. So we’ve been thinking of taking the money from the shop and opening a new location. Ya know, start something new and exciting to get our boring asses out of Purgatory while we’re still young enough and don’t have any serious commitments keeping us tied down.

Waverly: Oh my gosh, Wynonna that’s so exciting! Where are you guys thinking of moving?

Wynonna: Wellllllll, we’ve been talking to a real estate broker and we’ve already put a down payment on the perfect spot. It’s on Bleeker and…

Waverly’s high pitched screech interrupted her before she could finish and the cashier jumped back dropping her change on the ground. “YOU’RE MOVING TO NEW YORK!?” She quickly realized where she was and she blushed in embarrassment. She mouthed “I'm so sorry” to the cashier, dropped $5 in the tip jar and walked outside with her lunch

Wynonna: Get ready baby girl, the big city isn’t gonna know what hit it when there are 2 Earp sisters back together in the same town.

Waverly: This is so exciting, oh my gosh, there’s so much to plan. When do you get here? Where will you be living? When does the shop open? Ahhh!

Wynonna: Okay sloowwwwww down. We can discuss everything this weekend when you pick Doc and I up from JFK on Saturday morning. Our flight arrives at 12:30pm.

Waverly: THIS SATURDAY!? How long have you been planning this? Why am I just hearing about it now?

Wynonna: Well for one, because your reaction was priceless. And two, we weren’t sure if New York was going to work out or not so I didn’t want to get your hopes up. We have a hotel sorted for the first week and I figured you and I could go look for apartments once we get there.

Waverly: Okay perfect! I’ll send out some emails when I get back to the office, and I can take a day or two off work so we can go look at apartments. I’ve gotta get back to work. I love you, sis! See you on Saturday! 12:30, JFK! Do me a favour and text me your flight number and what terminal to pick you up from.

Wynonna: Will do, see you soon baby sis!

Waverly closed the door of her office and settled into her chair to have a moment of silence for the first time that day. She gave herself 15 minutes to eat her lunch in peace without any distractions before she had to get back to being productive.

She took a few bites of her salad and her mind drifted off to the events that played out the night before. First, Brian. She was disappointed that she had been stood up, but she was more upset with herself for getting her hopes up. Waverly wasn’t one to dwell though, so she took a moment to think about it, process her feelings and then put them behind her. She wasn’t going to let a guy she had only met once have any sort of negative impact on her mood, it simply wasn’t worth it. It was a quick and relatively painless lesson learned.

Then her mind wandered to Nicole. She hadn’t had a spare minute to think about everything that had happened between the two and she sat there in a mild state of disbelief. She was definitely confused by the feelings the redhead had stirred up inside of her. Waverly had never looked at a woman with such admiration and interest the way she did last night. Actually, she had never found herself interested in anybody, man or woman, as quickly as she was last night. And as she thought about it further, they didn’t even get to talk about much. She couldn’t quite put her thumb on it, but she knew something was brewing inside her.

Then her attitude shifted as she remembered that she had left her number in Nicole’s notebook. She could have easily been embarrassed and blamed it on the alcohol, but instead she gave herself a pat on the back for being bold and confident. Sure, it may have been wildly out of character, but she figured sometimes you just have to shoot your shot. Though she hadn’t heard from her yet, she decided she would try her best not to stress about it, not yet anyway.

Luckily for her, with Wynonna coming on Saturday she had plenty to do to keep herself distracted from day dreaming about Nicole…and her sculpted back and shoulders, the hint of a tattoo she caught a glimpse of, what she was scribbling in her notebook, her fiery red locks… _Shit, I’m in trouble._ She thought to herself.

There was a knock at the door that brought her back to reality.

“Come in”

Jeremy walked into her office, leaving the door open behind him. “Hey, Waves!”

“Please tell me those flowers were the right colour…I don’t have it in me to go running around all of Manhattan twice in one day…”

“No, no everything is fine! It was all great. I just got back from setting up. The flowers look great, the catering is all set and the bar staff has been briefed for tomorrow. I just wanted to come in and say thank you for helping me this morning. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you.”

Waverly shot Jeremy big smile. “Oh, phewf…Any time, Jeremy, I’m always happy to help. So those ladies weren’t too tough on you? They can be pretty feisty on a good day, so I was convinced their director would have been after your head.”

“Nope, it went super well! I think once she saw how sorry I was and how professionally we handled the mistake, she was super understanding…Yah know, either that or the bottle of champagne I brought her as a peace offering…or the fact that I agreed to bring her dog to the spa during the event tomorrow…”

“Jeremy! You didn’t! You gotta stop doing stuff like that!”

“I know, I couldn’t help it! She was so big and scary…I just…I panicked!”

Waverly chuckled and brought her palm to her forehead in jest “Well good luck with that! You can't go back on your promise now”

“It should be interesting. Anyway, I’ve got to get going. Thanks again!”

Jeremy left the office and Waverly opened her laptop to send a few emails out to real estate agents and to rent a car to pick up Doc and Wynonna from the airport. She spent the rest of her afternoon finishing bouncing between work emails and emails for Wynonna.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to @QQSuited for guessing the cocktail from Chapter 1!  
> Sazerac is my favourite drink, followed closely by an Old Fashioned. Keep your eyes peeled for more cocktails coming next chapter!


	4. Reunion!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wynonna arrives and Waverly finds herself back at Gardien unexpectedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a careless typo when I published this chapter late last night. Waverly's ex is named James and the man who stood her up is Brian. I've revised this chapter to address it so just a heads up :). 
> 
> Another quick one to piggyback off the last chapter - gotta fill the gaps early on with character development.  
> Juicy stuff coming up next.

The rest of the week flew by as Waverly planned for her sister’s arrival. She organized 3 viewings for the following Friday with a realtor. She figured she could take the day off to spend some quality time together as she’d be working throughout the week and had a corporate event on Wednesday evening.

She woke up early on Saturday so she had enough time to enjoy a cup of coffee and work on the cross-word. The Saturday puzzles were much easier than Sundays so she had little trouble finishing it in one sitting. She also knew she’d probably be sacrificing her weekend morning rituals for a while once her sister was around so she wanted to make sure she had one last morning to herself. Eventually she finished her coffee & crossword, tidied up her already clean apartment, and made her way over to the rental car depot before heading to the airport.

Waverly stood anxiously at the baggage claim area of the airport as she scanned the faces of all the strangers that passed her by. Finally, her eyes landed on her older sister who was walking toward her, picking something out of her teeth, completely oblivious of Waverly’s presence. She took off and barreled into Wynonna with such force that she nearly knocked them both down, wrapping her arms and legs around the older woman’s body.

“Jesus Waves, you’re like a spider monkey!”

“I like to think of myself as more of a cute and cuddly Koala…” Waverly released her death grip and placed herself back on the ground before leaning over to give Doc a big hug and kiss on the cheek. “Welcome to the Big Apple, Doc!”

“Why thank you very much, Waverly. It is a pleasure and honour to be here” Doc replied as he unloaded their suitcase from the luggage belt. Doc spent his childhood home-schooled on a ranch in the mid-west so he adopted a weird 1800s style accent that he’s never quite been able to shake. “SHOTGUN!” Wynonna interrupted as she bolted for the front seat.

Waverly rolled her eyes. “So I was thinking, after you guys get settled in your hotel room we should go out for an early dinner, I’m sure you guys must be starving.”

“If by dinner you mean the bar, and by hungry you mean thirsty, then yes I would love to go out for a drink!”

“I’m afraid I have plans to meet with a colleague to discuss some business pertaining to the new store so I am unable to attend, but I do believe this will be a great opportunity for you and your sister to catch up”

The trio exchanged stories for the duration of the drive back into the city. Though it had been nearly 2 years since they had seen each other, it felt like no time passed at all. Wynonna and Doc shared their plans to open the new antique store and which statement pieces they were shipping over from home along with their boxes & furniture. Waverly suggested that they take a trip up the Hudson Valley and check out the little towns along the water for any hidden gems they might find to bring back for the store. Waverly fell in love with the area when she took a road trip up there last fall looking for wedding venues at her last job. She spent an entire, rare, weekend to herself exploring a few towns along the river and enjoying the foliage. Plus, she knew her sister and she knew that the two of them hadn’t taken any time off to spend together in ages. When Doc wasn’t at the shop, Wynonna was picking up extra shifts at the bar. They didn’t need the extra money, Wynonna just felt at home amongst the drunks and the smell of beer and whiskey.

Wynonna insisted that she come to Waverly’s apartment instead of sitting alone at the hotel for hours before they went out. They dropped Doc off at the hotel and returned the rental car off before hopping in a taxi for a quick ride back to Waverly’s apartment.

It wasn’t long until they had both showered and got changed before Wynonna was dragging her sister out the door. “Okay baby sis, it’s our first night out on the town where are you taking me” Wynonna said as she pulled out her phone and searched ‘whiskey bar.’ “Hmm, how about this place _jar-deen_? They have plenty of whiskey so looks good to me”

Waverly looked at her sister puzzled, “Jar-deen? What? Let me see that.” But before she could look over to see what was on her phone, her older sister grabbed her and dragged her across the street. They walked a few blocks and rounded a corner before they arrived. Waverly looked up and gulped when she realized where they were. “Wynonna, you’re hopeless” she quickly hid the guilty look on her face. “It’s not ‘jar-deen’ you spaz, its _Gardien_ as in ‘gar-dee-uhn’ its French!”

“Tomayto, tuhmato, who cares let’s go inside it looks nice”

“Uh, I mean it looks pretty fancy and expensive.”

“Who cares!? We’re out to have a good time, I don’t care about any of that stuff. This is the first time I’ve seen you in what, 2 years? I’ll spend $100 on a beer if I have to”

“Yeah, but come on Wy, let’s be real we’re going to order whiskey. A whiskey is a whiskey no matter where you go and we can drink 3 for the price of what one costs here. Plus, it looks a little stuffy and I’m not dressed nice enough to be in there anyway.” Waverly tried her best to hide the nervous hesitation in her voice. She hadn’t heard back from Nicole since leaving her number in the notebook and it had been almost a week. She didn’t want to risk running into her and embarrass herself so she was desperately trying to avoid going inside.

“Yeah, you’re right the people in there look pretty wanky. Look there’s an Irish pub right across the street why don’t we just go there. Christ, we could get a 40oz from the bodega and drink in the park for all I care.” Waverly shook her head as they crossed the street.

The two stepped inside and Wynonna wasted no time ordering the first round. They each took their shot of bourbon and chased it with an ale that they brought back to their table.

“Okay so, I know I’m a terrible sister and we haven’t spoken much about it since it happened, but how have you been since calling off your engagement with whateverhisnamewas? Not that I ever really gave a crap about him, clearly, but how are you holding up?”

“Yeah, I’m alright. At first I was definitely sad. It was a big adjustment learning how to be single again after 5 years. I went through phases of being really happy to be living alone again, but also lonely at times. I think the biggest adjustment was learning how to cook for one and sleeping alone again. I know I made the right decision though. I felt like a huge relief was lifted off my chest almost immediately, like I knew I was going to be okay.” Truth be told, Waverly should have never said yes when he proposed. They had been going through the motions for a while and things had become very stagnant. She said yes because it felt like the logical next step for them. She had a feeling James felt the same and her suspicions were confirmed by his aversion to talking about wedding details or setting a date. She had been so busy with work and felt so robotic that she let almost a whole year pass by before realizing there was something very wrong. James was nice, but he was boring. He was smart, but couldn’t hold Waverly’s attention anymore. He was talented, but was never motivated enough to do anything with is, so it was wasted. It felt like they had nothing in common anymore and he never did anything to make her feel special. Their spark had faded despite her numerous efforts.

“He was boring anyway… the guy lacked some serious social skills. Seriously Christmas was always a drag getting stuck trying to have a conversation with him. He just didn’t seem to care about anything and plus he never made an effort. You always deserved better than him.”

Waverly shrugged and took a sip of her beer, “Well I’m glad its behind me now.”

“Amen sista, so have you been having any _fun_ lately?” Wynonna said as she wiggled her eyebrows.

She contemplated lying about her bleak love life all together, especially being stood up last week but she decided against it. It would be pointless, her sister knew her better than anyone and could see right through her lies. The younger brunette sighed and began telling the story of how she started using Tinder and had been stood up.

“Well, in typical Earp fashion, after realizing i was stood up, I convinced myself to stay for a drink and had a pretty interesting conversation with the person who mixed my drink.”

“Ohhhh was the bartender hot?!”

Waverly didn’t have it in her to correct her. Technically Nicole wasn’t the bartender, and yes she was very nice to look at. Instead she just smirked “Mayyyyyybe.”

“So what happened? Did you get all hot and heavy? Does this bartender have a name?”

“Um, yes...Nic…and nothing happened. I left my number but didn’t get a call or a message so I guess I misread the situation.”

“Bullshit, he probably didn’t get it. What do you mean you left it? You didn’t just put it in his phone?”

“Well I wrote it down on a notebook and left it with the bartender.” Another lie. She couldn't bring herself to correct her. Nic was a woman, but she couldn't admit that.

“Naw, this Nick guy probably didn’t get it because you’re a weirdo and didn’t just put it in his phone like any normal chick would do in 2018.”

“Its whatever, its fine. Anyway…I was thinking we should totally throw a party to celebrate your return and the announcement of Doc’s new store.” She tried to change the subject so she wouldn’t have to lie to her sister any more than she already had.

“You know me, I’m always down for a party. Count us in! But I don’t know, you’re a hotshot event planner now. I don’t think I can afford your rates. Besides, I’ll only stand for fuscia coloured roses in the centerpieces and I’m not sure you have those here”

Waverly scrunched up her nose and stuck her tongue out. “Ha-ha very funny. This one will be a pro-bono job. Consider it my first independent contract. Besides, I have the perfect place in mind.” Waverly began scheming in her head.

“I don’t mind being your charity, you’re the one out of the two of us who refuses help and handouts, remember? The shop is opening two weeks from Monday, so ideally we party before that because once we open its full steam ahead and we won’t have much time to fit it in. Do you think we could pull off a party that quickly?”

“This is my job! I literally get paid to pull parties out of thin air. Leave it all to me, I’ll sort it out.”

The Earp sisters spent the rest of the night drinking and sharing stories. They got drunker as the night progressed which led to Wynonna challenging a group of men in a beer chugging competition, which she won with ease. She won $20 bucks and bought them both one more beer before they eventually staggered home. Lucky for them, Waverly’s apartment was only a few blocks away so they didn’t have to stumble far. They grabbed a slice of pizza on the way home and passed out in the early hours of the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: 'The Boilermaker' (a shot of whiskey and a beer) as drank by the girls in the Irish pub originated in Butte, Montana in the 1890s. It was originally called a "Sean O'Farrell" and was served only when miners ended their shifts according to Wikipedia anyway. There are also accounts of it originating from the names of workers who built and maintained steam locomotives in the 1800s and needed something strong to alleviate the stress of a long day's work. Either seems like a fitting origin story that ties into the whole Purgatory feel.
> 
> Nowadays, its a pretty popular drink amongst bartenders and hospitality staff after a shift. Its my knock-off of choice.


	5. Bienvenue a Chatres

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole spends time with her beloved grandmother in France.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the last 2 weeks I've managed to sprain my wrist and catch a 39 degree fever in the middle of summer. It has not been fun or productive.
> 
> I think I promised that we'd finally see Nicole and Waverly back together in this chapter, but I realized that I couldn't just send Nicole to France without having a chapter to explain a little bit. I've already written the next chapter and feel like I'm on a roll, so there should be plenty of updates over Christmas :).

“Meme, I’m going to the market do you need anything” Nicole stated loudly as she padded through the small French cottage gathering the things she needed to head out. She grabbed her wallet, Vespa keys, canvas tote bag, grocery list and notebook before running a glass of water up to her grandmother before she left.

“No sweetie, I’m good thank you.” Her grandmother replied with a smile.

“I’m going to pick up some ingredients to make dinner, as well as a few things to stock your pantry. I may be a little while, I’m going to take the long way home through the hills.”

“Take your time, I’m not going anywhere. Besides this is your last day, enjoy the scenery while you can. Take that notebook of yours as well, might do you good to jot down some of those ideas swirling around in that head of yours.” Nicole leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Yep I’ve got it right here. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Nicole hopped on the scooter and made her way to the farmer’s market in town. As she got closer the smells of fresh bread, children laughing and adults bartering over prices filled her senses. It had been nearly 6 months since Nicole had last visited her grandmother. She tried to come a few times a year and this had been the longest stretch since visiting the small town about an hour outside Paris. She loved coming to the market accompanied by her grandmother as a kid. She introduced her to the local merchants and showed her how to pick the perfect bunch of ripe blackberries. While part of her wished they were together now, coming alone was a new experience that Nicole was eager to explore. It didn’t take long for people to recognize her fiery red locks and she took the time to catch up with Mary, the baker’s wife. Mary and a few other women in town were very close friends of Nicole’s grandmere and had known her since she was a little girl. They were always delighted to see Nicole when she was in town and offered her their finest breads and baked goods to bring back to her recovering grandmother.

The little town and its people held a special place in Nicole’s heart. She was never able to silence the thoughts in her head the way she could when she came to France. It was the only place in the world she felt like she could truly let her guard down. Though she was never the type to plan things out, the town was so slow and laid back in nature that she never felt the pressure to. She had lived in a few different cities in her life and they were all the same. Nicole wasn’t sure if it was the city itself that made her restless or if it was just her mind and the music, or a bit of both, but she always felt like she was moving non-stop. Always thinking, always creating, never able to sit still, never able to be tamed. She didn’t feel this way when she came to Chatres. The only thing she felt uneasy about were all the questions surrounding her lack of kids and a husband. She did her best to deflect, never wanting to bring scandal to the small town, she avoided telling anybody that she was gay. She wasn’t ashamed, nor was her grandmother, but she never felt it important to divulge such intimate details of her life without reason. Besides, she hadn’t met a partner yet that she wanted to share this small slice of heaven with so she didn’t feel it necessary to bring such attention to herself or her family.

After finishing her shopping, the redhead drove home through the hills stopping at a small clearing to have some lunch and draw in her notebook a bit. Though Nicole was a musician, her artistic abilities didn’t stop there. She had a creative mind that never stopped working. She was such a strong presence on stage and had done a good job building a name for herself in the musical world just after dropping out of college. She saw music as her art for the world, whereas drawing and poetry was an art form that she reserved for herself. Writing helped her organize her thoughts, sketching helped her express her emotions and music helped her expend energy. She sat at the clearing with her notebook in her lap sketching her surroundings. She focused on the small church nestled into the trees at the bottom of the valley. She drew with short quick strokes and made a few versions of her drawing so she would have something to reference back to when she got home to her studio. She planned to return home and pick one of the drawings to flesh out further and add to her _Chatres_ collection that she started a few years ago. It was her own little way to pay homage to the place she held so fondly in her heart.

Nicole returned to the cottage a little after midday to spend her final day together with her grandmother. She wasn’t thrilled about having to go back home, but she was grateful for the week they had shared together and that for the most part, her grandmother didn’t fuss about being bed ridden. When she came home, there was no sign of grandmere in her bedroom and Nicole began to worry as she went looking around the house. She found her grandmother sitting outside the back in a big rocking chair with a gin in hand listening to the radio.

“Did you have a good afternoon sweetheart? Come, fix yourself a drink and join me out here” Nicole obliged and took up a seat. “So, you’re leaving tomorrow, but don’t think you’re getting off the hook that easily. I’ve let you wait on me hand and foot and I know you’ve been avoiding talking to me, so tell me what’s on your mind.”

Nicole knew there was no point in trying to lie, her grandmother could see right through it. “I just miss him is all, and with his anniversary coming up it’s just been a rough few weeks.”

“You know when we met I wasn’t sure that man was ever going to sit still long enough for us to even share a meal together. He was always moving. If he wasn’t dancing, he was tapping his fingers on the table or shaking his leg. I swear that man heard music in his head and he could never turn it off. It wasn’t until you were born. I think he read something about shaken baby syndrome somewhere and he was terrified that he was going to hurt you. You were the only thing that could slow him down and make him sit still.”

“He’s not the only one, I hear the music too…” Nicole listened intently, but was staring off into the distance, slowly rocking the ice cube in her drink back and forth.

“Would you go inside and grab the green shoe box on the bottom shelf of the book case? I want to show you something.” Nicole quickly returned with the box in hand and handed it over. Anna grabbed a photograph out of the box and handed it over to Nicole. “This was taken the first summer Marty and I moved to New York to live with you. The heat wave was brutal that week, we couldn’t go outside, so you sat at the piano with him every day. Some days you pretended that you hated it, but nothing could replace the smile on your face or his.” Her grandmother recalled the story with such love in her heart and a smile from ear to ear.

Nicole teared up, she remembered that summer very well. Most days all she wanted to do was go to the park or watch cartoons, but her grandfather made her sit down and practice her scales. By the end of that summer she was playing piano better than most adults. Her fingers grazed over the photo when she recognized the hat – the same hat she wears every time she performs.

“I know you miss him sweetie, I do too, but he didn’t want to suffer anymore. He was never gonna let you see him hurt and hooked up to those machines, that’s why we decided a long time ago that the both of us wanted it to happen quick and painless. But you listen to me young lady, he loved you. He loved you so much and he is always with you. I know you want to honour his memory and I know you’ll do that in your own way but you gotta start playing music again. You can’t shut this part of yourself off anymore.”

Nicole knew everything her grandmother was saying was true. She couldn’t hold the tears back any more and suddenly the trip that was supposed to be her helping her grandmother, turned into something a lot deeper. Nicole broke down. She knelt next to grandmere and laid her head in her lap and allowed Anna to slowly stoke her head. “Shhhh, it’s okay darlin, let it out”

Finally Nicole regained her composure and she felt lighter. She knew this was the last thing she needed to do to let go and move on. “That night you rang me, I played a set at the bar. It was my first time since he passed. It felt a bit strange, but it felt like home. It felt like he was there with me.”

“He’s always with you. And I know it’s not going to be easy, just take your time getting back into it. You love to play and you have such a knack for it. Don't hold yourself back anymore its not fair to yourself or all those people you could be playing for....and I’m not just talking about the music you know. Nicole sweetheart, you are such an kind, generous and loving person. You deserve to have be loved, but you never will be if you keep shutting everyone out.”

Nicole opened her mouth, but her voice was trapped in her throat so she nodded.

“Now, shall we make supper and get ready for our last night together? I’ve been dying to kick your ass in chess all day.” Anna sensed she said all that needed to be said and left it at that, changing the topic so Nicole wouldn't get uncomfortable.

“Yeah right, you’re going down ‘mere” Nicole stood and her grandmother wiped the last tear from her cheek before Nicole helped her up and passed her grandmere her cane. They both headed inside to begin prepping for dinner.


	6. No Excuses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, our leading ladies meet again.

The rest of the week was quick and uneventful. Waverly had her hands full at work readying the office for her day off on Friday and Wynonna was busy with Doc sorting out opening details for their new shop. They shared a few meals, but for the most part she saved her energy for Friday knowing it would be a pretty full on weekend.

Waverly let herself sleep in a bit on Friday to rest up for the big day she had ahead of her. She planned 3 apartment viewings with Wynonna for the afternoon, but had planned a small stop on the way to meet her sister.

After returning from her morning jog, Waverly pumped her ‘Throwback R&B’ playlist on her Bluetooth speaker and spent over an hour getting ready. She flipped back and forth between singing at the top of her lungs and tearing her wardrobe apart as she searched for the perfect outfit. She planned to stop by _Gardien_ on her way to see her sister to inquire about renting the bar out for Wynonna and Doc’s welcome party and her and Wynonna made plans to go out for dinner and drinks after the apartment viewings. She was also planning to ask Cameron or the bar manager about Nicole to see if she could learn anything more about the redhead. She hadn’t heard from her since the night they met and she never received a call or text from Nicole, so she wasn’t sure what to make of the situation, but she couldn’t seem to shake the thought of her all week. Waverly figured she would give it one last try and if it wasn’t meant to be she would move on, but the curiosity inside of her couldn’t be quieted. She was determined, if not a little stubborn.

Around noon Waverly locked up her apartment and headed to the bar. She figured it wouldn’t be open yet, but there should be someone in the office or prepping the bar for the evening shift around this time. The door was unlocked so she walked in and looked around the empty bar, calling out to see if anybody was there. As she walked toward the end of the bar, she heard clanking and shuffling coming from below when she realized that there was a door on the floor that lead to a space underneath the bar.

“I’ll be right up, just give me a second” she heard a voice, shortly followed by the sound of loud steps coming from stairs below. Waverly saw a large box come up first, her view obscured, so she was unable to see who was behind it at first. She licked her lips as the person’s full figure came into view. She started from the bottom, her eyes lazily making their way up starting with a pair of black leather dress boots, then onto black, slim trousers that were rolled up above the ankle and followed the curve of the woman’s thighs and hips perfectly. She noticed the woman’s muscles flexing as she came up the final step and rested the box down on the bar. Waverly immediately recognized the tattoos on the woman’s forearm before finally making her way up to Nicole’s face. She smirked and raised a playful eyebrow as she took in the rest of the sight before her. The redhead was dressed casually compared to the night they met, but her look captivated Waverly nonetheless. The redhead’s crisp white t-shirt with rolled sleeves and plunging neckline left little to the imagination. It was tucked in neatly at the front of her trousers and hung loosely over her backside. Nicole’s colourful traditional tattoos were now in full view and Waverly was immediately drawn to the gypsy head on her forearm.

Nicole pulled a handkerchief from her back pocket and wiped her brow before extending her hand to greet the brunette, whose tight skinny jeans and tight, lacy, blush coloured blouse didn’t go unnoticed.

Waverly snapped out of it and reciprocated the gesture, “Oh, um hi...Nicole right? I wasn’t expecting to see you here” she said as she shook Nicole’s hand, blushing slightly. She secretly hoped she would run into Nicole at the bar, but hadn’t really prepared herself for what would happen if she actually did see her. She suddenly felt nervous, but tried her best to hide it.

“Hey Waverly, it’s good to see you again. What can I help you with?

“Well I was hoping to speak to the manager. I’m planning an event and was curious to see if maybe I could host it here.”

“Oh okay, let me go grab em for ya, be right back” Nicole turned around and walked back the stairs to the basement below the bar. When she got to the bottom, she turned right back around and extended her hand back out to Waverly, “Well hello, I’m Nicole, the manager how can I help you?”

Waverly rolled her eyes and smiled, “Ah, well now that makes a lot of sense. That explains why you had no problem hopping behind the bar to make me a drink the other night.”

“Technically speaking I’m the owner, but I guess that makes me the manager as well.”

“Alright well, _Miss Manager_ , I’m planning a party to celebrate the opening of my sister’s new business. I know its short notice, and most venues are already booked out, but I was hoping that maybe, possibly we could work something out?” she smiled.

“How short notice are we talking here?”

“Next Saturday, a week from tomorrow. It’s the only day that really works. See, her arrival was a bit of a surprise and she shop is opening the following Monday so it’s really the only day we can do it. Had I known she was coming sooner, I wouldn’t be in the position. I’m never unprepared, it’s kind of my job to be prepared, but shit happens I guess. The surprise was worth it; I’m just scrambling to help make everything happen as quickly as I can now as a result”

Nicole’s face suddenly became very serious. Of course the bar would be free on Saturday, in fact it would be closed. It was the anniversary of her grandfather’s death and she closed the bar on that day every year to mourn his passing. Nicole’s immediate response was to turn the brunette down, but she remembered what her grandmere had said to her just before she left. _You can’t shut yourself off anymore. You deserve to have be loved, but you never will be if you keep shutting everyone out._

Nicole had every intention of reaching out to Waverly after meeting her the week before. When her message bounced back, she figured it was a sign that it wasn’t meant to be and pushed the woman out of her mind. Sure, she thought of Waverly on occasion while she was in France, but she was so distracted by thoughts of her grandfather and busy helping her grandmere that she kind of forgot. There was something about Waverly that caught her attention that night and she figured if she was listening to signs, then this was a massive one that she needed to see through.

“Actually, you’re in luck. There was supposed to be an event here that night, but I got an email this morning that they need to cancel. So Saturday is wide open if you want it.” A little while lie wouldn’t hurt anyone, would it? Sure, there wasn’t an event, but the bar was going to be closed so it wasn’t too far off. She wasn’t going to divulge the details, so the lie would have to do for now.

“Oh my gosh, that’s perfect!” the brunette squealed, before clearing her throat trying to play it cool. “Well, it should be around 50 people if that helps. I’d love to stay and give you all the details now, but I have an appointment I need to get to in a half hour. Do you have an email address I can send through all the details to over the weekend? We can set up some time early next week to meet and discuss further.”

Nicole pulled a business card from next to the till and handed it over. “Here, this has our email address and phone number on it. If you have any questions over the weekend give it a ring during the day. I’ll be working all weekend.”

Waverly took the card and read the name. Nicole _Haught_. Bar Manager. She didn’t know the redhead’s surname until she read it, but of course it was _HOT._

She took out her wallet from her purse and pulled out a business card of her own and slid the card across the bar to Nicole, “Well, here’s my number…again…in case you lost it the first time” She smirked and raised an eyebrow almost as if to challenge Nicole. Waverly couldn’t believe how bold she was feeling, but she was enjoying the confidence she was exuding so she went with it.

Nicole stood there looked up and down at the card and Waverly’s face with a slight hint of guilt, her mouth slightly agape. The corners of her mouth turned up before finally responding “I was away, just so you know.” She said softly.

“Huh?” Waverly replied.

“In France, I was away visiting some family. I just got back last night.”

“Is that your excuse for not messaging me? You know cell phones work overseas. There’s this magical thing called wifi” Waverly teased.

It took Nicole a bit by surprise but she liked the light attitude that Waverly was throwing. She never liked things to be easy. “Touche…well I have no excuse now. I dare not leave a lady waiting twice, especially when she means to do business” she said as she waved the business card up in the air.

Waverly chuckled nervously and exhaled sharply out of her nose in annoyance, _shit,_ she thought to herself _. Does Nicole only sees this as a business arrangement?_ She was foolish to think she might be interested in her. But what was she thinking anyway? Waverly had no idea what had come over her. She has very limited experience with women. She wasn’t even sure if this was something she was interested in exploring, let alone if Nicole was interested in her. She didn’t know why but she felt slightly rejected. She shook it off quickly “Right, well I’ll email you all of the details we discussed sometime this weekend. Looking forward to _working_ with you Ms. Haught.” she made a point to emphasize and punctuate the woman’s name short and crisp. She quickly turned to head toward the door. She dared not look back, but she swayed her hips with just a touch more sass and sway than usual, hoping the redhead would notice and boy, did Nicole notice. Nicole rolled her eyes in amusement, putting the business card in her wallet and placing it back into her back pocket. She went back down stairs to continue setting up the bar for the evening.


End file.
